Vape Shop Ordered to Rectify Signage: No "Smoke/Tobacco" in the Name

On August 6, a physical store owner in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province, reported to an e-cigarette public account that on the afternoon of August 5, while doing business in the store, he suddenly received a call from the tobacco bureau staff, and the first thing they said was: "E-cigarettes are illegal, you can't sell them."
 

The store owner replied: "E-cigarettes are being sold all over the country, and there are many stores in every city, why can't I sell them?"

The store owner introduced to the e-cigarette public account that he started this e-cigarette business in early 2015. Because he had previously engaged in other businesses, e-cigarettes were treated as a sideline, and the business was always mediocre. In 2018, due to the popularity of small e-cigarette products, the e-cigarette market suddenly boomed, and business became increasingly good. Seeing the potential of the e-cigarette market, he decided to fully commit to it.

He then abandoned his previous business and devoted himself entirely to the e-cigarette industry. Recently, he joined a relatively popular brand in the market, which provided various subsidies and favorable policies. The store was renovated according to the brand's requirements and officially opened on July 28. He also secured a mall store, which has been renovated and is planned to officially open on the day of Qixi Festival (the mall store).

On the afternoon of August 6, while doing business in the mall store, he suddenly received a call from the tobacco bureau staff, saying, "E-cigarettes are illegal, you can't sell them." Later, the tobacco bureau staff requested to meet the store owner at his old store immediately.

The store owner hurried back to the old store from the mall store. The tobacco bureau staff showed their credentials and said: "E-cigarettes are prohibited products under the jurisdiction of the tobacco bureau."

The store owner explained: "There are many stores in every city across the country, how can I not sell them? I sell heated vapor-type e-cigarettes, not heated non-combustible tobacco products."

The tobacco bureau staff circled around and said: "What you have is called a tobacco stick, which contains nicotine. As long as it contains nicotine, it falls under our tobacco bureau's management."

The store owner told the e-cigarette public account that when he heard this statement, he was unaware of this regulation and was taken aback. After a while, he told the tobacco bureau staff: "Currently, there is no national law prohibiting the sale of e-cigarette products. If it is prohibited, why is my brand allowed to produce them?"

The tobacco bureau staff said: "Currently, there is indeed no law, but it falls within our regulatory scope." They then said: "Since it is within the regulatory scope, you must comply with our requirements." They required the store owner to remove all instances of the word "smoke" from the store, both inside and outside, including the sign. They also said that the inspection personnel and leaders from the bureau would come to the site the next morning.

The next morning, August 6, a total of seven people came, including those from the previous day. The store owner had a good attitude. He said that the tobacco bureau personnel were also quite nice, and the bureau leaders did not make any excessive demands. They took photos for evidence, took photos of IDs, and then required him to remove all advertisements containing the word "smoke" from the store; until the rectification was completed, items in the store would be temporarily taken off the shelves.

The e-cigarette public account asked the store owner what suggestions he had for e-cigarette store owners nationwide after this incident.

The store owner provided four suggestions: "I advise all colleagues opening e-cigarette physical stores: 1. Do not touch heated non-combustible tobacco products, as this involves tobacco laws; 2. Do not display the word 'smoke' on the storefront or in advertisements inside the store; 3. We must understand relevant knowledge about e-cigarette products to facilitate discussions with tobacco departments when they visit our stores; 4. Maintain a sincere attitude and accept the rectification opinions from tobacco or business departments."